Summoning Millions of Gods Daily, My Strength Equals Theirs Combined Chapter 519 -519-A Scheme—or the Arrangement of Fate

"Whatever schemes you might be weaving, you'd better keep them tightly leashed whenever you're before me."

Aurek uttered the words with deliberate slowness.

Though his tone remained soft, the entire assembly in the vast chamber bowed deeply in unison.

Sherana's thoughts grew tense.

"I won't squander time on petty nonsense."

Aurek turned his eyes toward the doorway of the hall. "Lucio. Philip."

"We obey Your Majesty's command!"

The pair advanced promptly.

"Transfer the duties of the Celestial Light God Realm to different hands. The two of you must start readying the forces for the thrust into the Star Sea right away!"

"Seize every realm you cross on the advance, claim every scrap of land—fold it all under the empire's domain."

Aurek issued the order.

The eyes of the mighty figures present narrowed in shock.

An assault on the Star Sea?

Did he intend to clash directly with the Divine Court?

"It shall be done!"

Excitement boiled in Lucio and Philip's veins.

To hoist the empire's Black Eagle flag over the realms of the Star Sea—this was a triumph beyond their wildest dreams!

"Locate the dwelling of the Primordial Giants without delay."

Aurek's attention drifted to the group from the Sea God Temple.

The assembly's pulses quickened once more.

Not just an expedition into the Star Sea—His Majesty aimed to hunt down the Primordial Giants proactively?

Was he scheming to launch the first blow, neutralizing those wild beings before they stirred?

The specialists from the Sea God Temple recoiled in surprise. They moved to protest, but a sharp glance from the Temple Master silenced them.

Catching the cue, the God of Wisdom inclined his head and declared, "The Sea God Temple is aware of the star zones where the Primordial Giants roam. We shall probe swiftly and pinpoint their precise tribal grounds."

"Disperse."

Aurek flicked his sleeve.

At last, the assembled titans departed the chamber, lingering obediently in the royal palace.

...

Within the temple's rear garden.

Josephine and her companions had set out coffee and tea, topping off Aurek's cup.

Aurek placed one hand casually on the table, gazing forward.

Before him waited the Sea Temple Master, alongside the Shirino–Sherana siblings.

"I demand to hear it plainly," Aurek stated. "Precisely what are you attempting to achieve?"

His voice held steady, revealing no trace of fury or delight.

The Sea Temple Master held her tongue.

Doubt shadowed Shirino's features too.

Sherana alone fixed her eyes on her "dear sister," as though she still couldn't pierce her facade.

Right now, she craved the full story as well.

Following a heavy pause, Shirino at last unveiled the tale, unfolding it gradually and thoroughly.

Two hundred thousand years prior...

Fate had gifted her the Icefrost Crown—a relic from an Empyrean Sanctum being who had merely paused briefly in the Celestial Light God Realm. That fleeting brush reshaped her destiny.

Defying tradition, Alvin took her as his pupil, imparting the Path of Fate and a singular ice-binding ascension divine technique.

By binding her level to the Eternal Winter Divine Empire, through years of steady buildup she could vault straight to Sage Lord. Beyond that, grasping the Empyrean Sanctum intent woven into the empire's realm—reaching Sage Master and loftier heights lay within grasp.

Yet during their journeys through the Star Sea with Alvin, she provoked a prince from the Starfont Divine Court. He lusted after Shirino's allure.

Ultimately, Alvin stepped in to shield her, reshaping her destiny—but in the process, he caught a glimpse of the River of Fate's edge, a realm reserved for Empyrean Sanctum entities alone, snaring a subtle hint of coming paths.

Trailing that clue, they uncovered the endpoint of Shirino's destined fortune.

It lay on the Eura Continent.

Thus, upon their return from the Star Sea, guided by Alvin's designs, Shirino set her scheme in motion.

For one, she wielded that accursed edge—the Cursed Sword—to draw Sherana into claiming the crown, allowing her own flawless retreat, akin to a locust molting its husk.

Meanwhile, she honed Sherana, stripping her hesitations, forging cruelty and determination—she covertly steered incidents that birthed the Frostblade Abyss.

What caught her off guard was Sherana's corruption by the Cursed Sword, her spirit gnawed by its curse. Shirino had to intervene and seal her away, then, with her teacher Alvin, enact a grand charade.

Finally, aided by Alvin, she "tumbled" into the boundless icy peaks of the Eura Continent, biding there until the fateful strands converged.

Until Aurek emerged.

She spotted that thread of uncertainty.

Thus, she opted to aid Aurek.

The empire endured—holding firm through to Aurek's time.

As the Crossbridge Empire withered day by day, she once questioned if Alvin's foresight had faltered... or if her own path had veered astray.

Yet before she could act further, the once-weak Crossbridge Empire ignited— in just one year, it swelled, stretched, and erupted with boundless promise!

Even if the Crossbridge Empire seemed trivial to her then, she recognized the fated turning point.

That sparked the eventual alliance and partnership.

Back in the Eternal Winter Divine Empire, to avert Sherana—from her dethroned fury—resorting to desperate measures, joining God Mountain or rival forces against the Crossbridge Empire...

Shirino orchestrated protective guards, and through Mentor Alvin's foresight, steered Sherana straight into the Crossbridge Empire.

Absorbing this intricate revelation...

Sherana went utterly still.

From her earliest days to now, her entire journey had been orchestrated by her sister Shirino—mapped out in every nuance—leading precisely here!

It explained why Evelyn, Grace, and the rest flipped loyalties the instant Shirino reappeared.

"You scoundrel..." Sherana glared at Shirino, her eyes swirling with tangled emotions. "You're utterly loathsome."

Had Shirino been a foe, Sherana figured she'd have been danced like a marionette ages ago, flipped and spun in her grip.

Elizabeth, Josephine, and the others reeled in astonishment too.

Fortunately, this wasn't some cutthroat court intrigue—else their fates would hang bleakly...

...

"Aurek... big brother, I..."

With Shirino's admission laid bare, the Sea Temple Master raised her gaze to Aurek.

Noting his shadowed, frosty demeanor, she chose to conceal nothing.

But her circumstances diverged from Shirino's.

She hailed from the God Temples amid the Star Sea—an timeless alliance.

Her arrival in this realm stemmed from the God of Temptation atop the Heavenly Mountain in the Celestial Light God Realm.

The God of Temptation ranked as a deity of the Heavenly Mountain—a primal High God born with the cosmos and creation, and a True God revered by the God Temples.

Upon brushing the divine essence of temptation, she unwittingly peered into her own fate's path via the Mirror of Fate.

Assisted by the God of Temptation, she also brushed against specific fate-ties.

Hence, she left her core form in the Sea God Temple's gardens, while her spirit reborn on the Eura Continent.

Inevitably, her fate-line intertwined with Aurek's!

All unfolded as predestined—she transformed into Sophia, his empress.

"All of you, leave us."

Aurek commanded in a frosty tone.

The garden's occupants trembled. Josephine, Fiona, and the others departed swiftly.

In that chilled command, they sensed his bottled rage.

Aurek rose, his forehead creased in a deep frown, quelling the blaze roiling in his heart.

Then... was this Sophia still the one who'd once poured her all into him, ready to lay down her life?

A spark of lethal resolve even flashed through his thoughts.

Nevertheless...

That prior "Big Brother Aurek" clarified it: this was truly Sophia.

No duplicate, no spectral echo.

Her soul's rebirth.

She embodied the Sea Temple Master—and Sophia alike.

At her core, little had shifted.

Once, Sophia's universe revolved solely around him—this "Big Brother Aurek."

Now, Sophia's recollections spanned eternal epochs, with Aurek merely a chapter in that vast timeline.

That slice he struggled to swallow.

Against infinite, boundless eras, he doubted a scant two decades could sway her essence.

Aurek lingered there awhile.

Yet Sophia approached regardless, without summons.

She drew near him.

"Big Brother Aurek."

Sophia cast off the Sea Temple Master's regal aura, settled beside him, and gazed at Aurek while murmuring gently.

"In the past, Big Brother Aurek once wondered if I favored the old Big Brother Aurek... or the present one."

"Sophia replied that I cherished both—but the current one even more. And I wish for Big Brother Aurek to embrace the true Sophia. Moving forward, Sophia will stand by Big Brother Aurek every step..."

"No matter the time... I remain forever Big Brother Aurek’s Sophia!"

Being held dear by Aurek—Sophia treasured it profoundly.

For though she'd reclaimed her full recollections, much consisted of long-buried shards, akin to viewing a sprawling dramatic saga...

Aurek pivoted to face her.

He extended his arm, pulled her close, and marched toward the palace.

...